Product Description
It was Nietzsche who famously spoke the aphorism: 'Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.' But after a mesmerizing stare into the cold, mirrored lens and stealthy black finish of the Louis Garneau Vorttice Black Knight Helmet, we're already more than a bit tantalized by the allure of the dark side, taking little heed to Nietzsche's warnings. The Vorttice has an imposing, almost medieval appearance that looks as deadly as it is fast. And that's before you're even in the start gate. This is especially critical, because when your battles are against individual riders and the clock itself, nothing is more important than the power of pure intimidation. Can you imagine the thoughts running through an opponent's head as he glances behind him and sees only darkness approaching as you bridge the gap? Absolute demoralization.While the Vorttice looks fast, its spell-binding powers are more than psychological. The front of the Vorttice is dimpled like a golf ball to disturb the air just enough to speed its flow over the surface of the helmet. The angled ridges that follow the dimples are vortex generators that compress air as it flows over the helmet, again speeding its flow down the backside of the helmet. The combination of the two technologies cuts drag by 11 percent. A single, front vent situated at the point of highest air pressure takes air in and directs it over the head through three different channels to help keep you cool. The Vorttice includes that aforementioned mirrored lens to improve airflow around the face. It can be removed or flipped up if desired. Keeping the helmet stable on the head is the Garneau Spiderlock SL which can be adjusted on the fly with just a simple twist of the retention dial. Steplock SL Dividers adjust the length and position of the straps quickly and easily with a locking cam design. Unlike many aero helmets with a heavy, elongated tail, the back of the Vorttice cut
| List Price: | $259.99 |
| Price: | $239.99 |
| as of Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:27:28 GMT ***Remember, deals price on this item for sale just for limited time*** | |
Product Details
- Size: S, Small
- Color: Black
- Brand: Louis Garneau
- Model: Vorttice Black Knight
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 1.69 pounds
Features
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Material: in-mold composite
Adjustable Vents: no
Fit Adjustment: Spiderlock SL
Certifications: CPSC, ASTM, CEN, AS
Weight: 450 g
Recommended Use: triathlons, time trial races, defeating the forces of evil
Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
By DarkKnight666
I'm new to Triathlons. Learning to swim fast, ride fast, and THEN run fast is no easy feat, even in a "Sprint" where the distances are all individually achievable at full throttle. The first thing I noticed on the swim was that technique will ultimately beat out effort. OK, that's just a matter of time. As a runner, the run is all about remaining relaxed after the biking portion turns your legs to jello or clay. On the bike, however, there are seconds that can be purchased....
It turns out that around 20 mph, which is pretty much the entry point to age group placement potential, the wind drag (which is a function of the square of the speed), becomes really important in draining your energy. And you don't have to be doing 20, 25, or even 30 mph to feel it. All you need is a 10-20 mph headwind. Reducing drag becomes the #1 task in achieving good times for entry level people like me. I have a basically good bike frame (well, actually historically the winning-est frame in triathlon history), which has some basic components that it came with. Everyone says...the wheels are the first upgrade so dutifully I started shopping around - only to find an article that discussed the bang-for-the-buck effect of a helmet vs wheels. You see, to get a couple of miles per hour more using wheels, you might spend over $2,000. Now consider that only 30% of the drag comes from the bike (assuming it is an aero bike to begin with), that's a lot of $$$ per mph. However, 70% of the drag comes from your body. And a lot of that drag comes from your head/shoulders. That explains tucking down into aero bars, but it also explains why the $/mph gain off a great helmet and therefore why triathletes don't mind looking like they are stunt actors for the next Star Wars movie.
Being an aerospace trained engineer, I went with the Black Knight for several reasons. First, the golf dimples and flow disturbers on the front and mid section of the helmet follow empirical data and theory of laminar and turbulent flows. You want that smooth flow on the leading edge, but you want it to be turbulent further down from the helmet to maximize bleeding off drag. Second, the front intake at the maximal pressure point optimizes cooling but also provides for a flow bypass mechanism. The built in visor is convenient but also enhances the frontal profile. The cut-off rear further encourages airflow to turbulently bleed off your back and avoid creating a rear suction zone (READ DRAG).
My first 11 mile ride on a well trusted route averaged 1 to 1.5 mph higher around the nominal 20 mph zone. Whether it was the helmet or the euphoria at looking so silly I'm not sure. I then did a mock sprint tri over a moderately hilly but fast 18 mile bike route averaging 1 to 2 mph higher than normal around the 20 mph zone, with peak speeds (above 30 mph) about **** 3 to 5 **** mph higher. All of this with no more than a 10 mph headwind. My anecdotal data, at least for me, convinces me that I'm squeezing marginally more speed around 20 mph, and a lot more speed around 30 mph, than with my usual (but form factored) Giro ventilated cycling helmet. In a sprint, where I average at least 20 mph and often hit 25 mph to 30 mph for a few minutes, this could translate into a few very precious minutes.
I'm happy with the helmet - it fits very well. I would take careful measurement of your head - if you are at low boundary end, you might want to go for the smaller size. I was at the low for large, and ordered a large. It fits perfectly, but I can't make it much tighter so I'm glad my head is as big or small as it's ever going to get.
Overall, a great helmet. Note that it comes with a soft helmet bag, which was a nice touch to avoid transportation scratches.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
By E. M. Sinning
I bought this to do TT and Tri races. I have done two races so far and no issues. its visor is really handy saves me having to grab sunglasses at T1. the vent int he front kept me pretty cool, no ventilation problem. The helmet fits a bit small I bought the Large size. but the LG spider system lets it sit on my head just fine. I was worried, since I usually have to get large ball caps but this helmet was still good. There was an issue out of the box ie one of the side pads was glued incorrectly. I contacted the vendor, and they sent me a new one at no charge!! they were awesome. I like to use amazon service because of this. Looks great feels good.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
By perwaz munir
This my 4th TT helmet...i've owned most of the best helmets out there and this one is by far the best. Very comfortable and top notch quality. The visor was ruined once it get wet. Water stains in the visor and they wouldn't go away. I called LG customer service and they mentioned that these visors with the smoke tint had issues. They immediately sent me out a replacement at no cost. I'm very happy!
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